Piano-hammer



Patented Mar. 28, I899. J. OSTER, 1B. 1

PIANG. HAMMER. (Application filed Mar. 2, 1 898,)

(In Modal.)

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

m: uonms PETER! cu. mom-Luna, WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOIIN OSTER, JR, OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY.

filANQ-HAMMER.

srEoiFIeA'rIoN forming part of Letters Patent in). 622,065, dated March28, 1899.

Application filed March 2, 1898. Serial N6. 672,284. (No model.)

may be adjusted about its axis so as to allow a new peripheral surfaceto be brought around to striking contact whenever one portion of saidsurface shall have become flattened and hard from long use.

My invention consists in the special construction and arrangement ofparts, which I will now proceed to describe with reference to thedrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the hammer; Fig. 2, alongitudinal section; Fig. 3, atransverse section through the felt disk,and Fig. 4: an assemblage of the various parts detached from each other.

In the drawings, A represents the holder for the felt disk 0. Thisholder consists of a tapered stem or shank portion having screwthreadedend a and two divergent spring arms or jaws a a, which at their ends arecurved to snugly fit the periphery of the felt disk and embrace a littlemore than one-half of its circumference. The spring-jaws a a have alongtheir inner edges inturned flanges a a',which flanges when the jaws aregripped upon the felt disk bury into the felt (see Fig. 3) and preventthe felt disk from slipping out sidewise from between the jaws. Thesejaws, including the flanges, are exactly the same thickness as the disk,so that they lie flush with the felt, and there is no projection on thesides of the disks and no liability for one hammer to catch into orinterfere with the hammers adjacent thereto. The tapered shank portionof the holder A is received into a tapered socket 13, having aright-angularly-extended ferrule Z), and said holder is secured withinsaid socket by a nut D, screwed upon the threaded stem 0. outside of thesocket B. By turning this nut up more or less tightly the holder A isdrawn down in the socket and the jaws compressed upon the felt disk tosecurely hold it in place. The thimble b of the socket Bis secured uponthe wooden hammerstaif by screw b or by any other suitable means.

The parts A B D may be made of any material; but I prefer some light andstrong material, such as aluminium, hard rubber, vuh canized fiber, (to.

With this construction of hammer it will be seen that when any portionof the felt disk becomes hard and compact from continued and frequentimpact it may be quickly loosened and turned. There are, furthermore, noprojecting parts on the side of the disk to cause interference betweenthe hammers or objectionable noise in playing. By the swivelingcharacter of the holder A in its socket 13 before being tightened it ispossible also to adjust the plane of the disk C at any angle to theplane of the hammer-staff to better adjust it to striking contact withthe wires.

I do not claim, broadly, a rotatable felt disk; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A piano-hammer comprising an elastic striking-cushion, an elongatedsocket, a cushion-holder arranged therein and means for positivelylocking the holder, at an angle to the staff, with a swivelingadjustment substantially as shown and described.

2. A piano-hammer comprising a rotatable elastic disk, springclamping-jaws for grasping the same peripherally, a socket-holderreceiving and embracing the jaws, and means for holding-and locking thejaws down in the socket to produce a, gripping strain on the elasticdisk, substantially as and for the purpose described. 7

3. A piano-hammer com-prising a rotatable elastic disk, a pair of springclamping-jaws for grasping the same peripherally, said jaws having ascrew-threaded shank, a tapering socket receiving said jaws and providedwith a staff-ferrule, and a nut arranged upon the threaded shank anddrawing down and compressing" the jaws in the socket, substantially asand for the purpose described.

4. A piano-hammer comprising a rotatable elastic disk, and a pair ofspring clampingjaws having along their inner edges inturned flanges sunkinto the disk and grasping the disk peripherally, said jaws and flangesbeing the same width as the thickness of the elastic disk substantiallyas and for the pur- IO pose described.

JOHN OSTER, JR, Witnessesi GUSTAV STRANGE, SIMON STRANGE;

